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Forbes
27-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
19 Common IT Inventory Mistakes In Remote Workplaces
Managing tech equipment for a remote workforce presents unique logistical and security challenges for IT teams. From tracking laptops and smartphones to coordinating software updates and device returns, staying on top of inventory is essential for smooth operations. Even seasoned teams can overlook critical details, leading to data exposure, asset loss or avoidable expenses. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council share common mistakes IT teams make when handling device inventories, along with practical advice on how to avoid them. These insights can help businesses minimize risk, save money and better support their distributed teams. 1. Insufficient Asset Management In my experience, insufficient asset management can be a mistake. Simply put, you cannot protect what you don't know about. Having a good understanding in real time of what is in your environment will help to ensure devices are inventoried, managed and patched, improving your cyber hygiene. Organizations need to make this a priority. Find out what you have now and address it before an adversary does it for you. - Robert Reynolds, Orange County Government, North Carolina 2. Lack Of A Single, Real-Time System One common mistake is not using a centralized, real-time system to track tech equipment. Without one, teams often rely on spreadsheets or manual records, which quickly become outdated—especially as employees join, leave or swap devices. This can lead to lost visibility, security risks and inefficiencies. A robust device management platform integrated with HR tools can prevent these issues. - Fran Rosch, Imprivata Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? 3. Not Using Tokenization For Tracking The big mistake is not using tokenization to track and secure device inventories. Without tokenized IDs linked to each device, IT teams lack real-time visibility, leading to lost assets and security risks, especially with remote teams. Tokenization adds traceability, automates updates, ensures accountability and integrates seamlessly with smart contracts for compliance. It also adds efficiency and scalability. - Charles Morey, MobilEyes Inc. 4. Failing To Automate Device Retrieval One common mistake is failing to automate device retrieval during offboarding. Without a consistent, automated process, companies lose track of equipment, creating security risks and financial loss. Automating offboarding ensures assets are recovered, inventory stays accurate and sensitive data is secured. - Kumar Abhirup, 5. Overlooking What Data Certain Devices Access Many teams track devices but overlook what data those devices access. Without that detail, it's hard to apply the right protections. A laptop handling sensitive or regulated data needs different safeguards than one used for admin tasks. Linking devices to data exposure supports stronger security and better compliance and avoids spending on controls that aren't needed everywhere. - Leah Dodson, Piqued Solutions 6. Managing With A 'No First' Mindset A common mistake is managing device inventories with a 'no first' mindset. Devices are treated as locked-down assets to control rather than as tools employees use to get work done. This leads to rigid policies, poor visibility and employees circumventing the system, ultimately undermining inventory accuracy and security. Empowerment, not control, is the foundation of a reliable device inventory. - Amy Brown, Authenticx 7. Assuming Devices Will Be Returned In Usable Condition One common yet overlooked mistake is assuming all devices will be returned in usable condition—or at all. Remote setups blur lines of accountability, and without strict tracking or offboarding protocols, equipment can vanish into a logistical black hole, often unnoticed until it's too late. - Kirill Sagitov, COYTX GLOBAL LLC 8. Failing To Treat Devices As Attack Vectors The gravest error is viewing devices as cost items rather than attack vectors. You wouldn't lose track of vault keys, yet companies hemorrhage laptops like loose change. Mandate zero-tolerance inventory protocols with Fed-level encryption, real-time monitoring and automatic remote wipe capabilities. Every device should have biometric authentication, hardware-level encryption and kill-switch protocols. - Kalyan Gottipati, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. 9. Inconsistent Policies A common mistake is failing to have a centralized asset inventory and consistent policies. Without standardized asset management, assets go missing or are inappropriately used, which results in wasted budgetary resources and poses a security risk. Regular audits and clear procedures help maintain administrative control and reduce risks within a hybrid or remote work setup. - Asad Khan, LambdaTest Inc. 10. Failing To Tie Devices To User Identities A common mistake is managing device inventories without tying them to identity. When IT teams track hardware separately from who's using it and what they can access, they lose visibility and increase risk. Linking devices to user identities via an access graph ensures accurate lifecycle management, revokes access promptly and strengthens endpoint security in remote environments. - Craig Davies, Gathid 11. Not Using Centralized Platforms One common mistake remote IT teams make is not using centralized platforms, like mobile device management tools, to track and manage devices. It's easy to lose visibility across teams. Centralizing ensures real-time tracking, secure configurations and smoother offboarding. - Nikita Gupta, Symba 12. Incomplete Device Inventory Data I have observed incomplete device inventory data, which arises from using outdated tracking methods such as spreadsheets and legacy asset management software. Manual tracking is error-prone and becomes unmanageable as the company grows. This leads to accounting errors, poor maintenance and security vulnerabilities. Cloud-based inventory solutions and automated data provide real-time monitoring controls. - Arpna Aggarwal 13. Ignoring User Behavior A missed angle is ignoring user behavior tied to the devices. Tracking hardware is only half the picture. Without contextual telemetry—who's using it, how and where—IT teams can't spot anomalies, misuse or insider threats. True inventory management blends asset data with behavioral analytics for proactive risk posture. - Kiran Elengickal, Siemba 14. Lack Of Tracking And Monitoring Capabilities One mistake is not requiring that each asset have asset tracking and monitoring capabilities. Not knowing what assets you have on your network and not managing their access privileges is a security incident in the making. How do you assure security and patch compliance if you do not track and monitor what has the right to access your network? - Richard Ricks, Silver Tree Consulting and Services 15. Failing To Prioritize Inventory Streaming During Acquisitions One of the common mistakes large companies make often occurs during acquisitions: the failure to prioritize inventory streamlining of tech devices. Devices such as laptops, smartphones or headsets issued by the acquired organization often go unaccounted for. In major enterprises, poor inventory management combined with inadequate tech waste handling can lead to significant equipment loss. - Santosh Ratna Deepika Addagalla, Trizetto Provider Solutions 16. Lack Of Thorough Service Ticket Documentation Following inventory assignments, remote companies usually omit comprehensive documentation of service desk tickets. Each ticket should track the history of the work done, captured by timestamp. Thorough documentation not only aids in troubleshooting and trend analysis, but also enhances accountability and supports compliance efforts. - Sid Dixit, CopperPoint Insurance 17. Not Mapping Users To Devices And Data IT teams often focus on tracking devices, not the data users can access through them. Without mapping the relationship between user, device and data, it's hard to manage risk or enforce governance. Classifying access by role and tying it to data—not just hardware—is key to effective asset management. - Karen Kim, Human Managed 18. Not Enforcing Standardized Device Configurations One mistake IT teams of remote companies make when managing device inventories is not enforcing standardized device configurations. Without consistent setups for software, security settings and updates across all devices, IT teams may face challenges in monitoring compliance, applying patches or troubleshooting issues, leading to increased vulnerabilities and inefficiencies. - Gaurav Mehta, JPMorgan Chase 19. Underestimating The Complexity Of Device Retrieval And Wiping One critical oversight is underestimating the complexity of reverse logistics for device retrieval and secure data wiping during offboarding. Teams often focus on initial deployment but lack equally robust, well-documented and consistently enforced processes for getting devices back. This leads to 'ghost' inventory, potential data breaches from these assets, and significant financial write-offs. - Ashish Bhardwaj, Google
Hospitality Net
19-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
AI Isn't the Future of Hospitality—It's the Now. And You're Already Behind.
While much of the hospitality world continues to talk about artificial intelligence as something 'coming soon,' the truth is more sobering: AI is already here—and the smartest players are moving fast. Across the industry, AI is being used right now to reduce guest wait times, automate reporting, personalize marketing, and relieve overburdened teams. The gap between early adopters and hesitant observers is growing wider by the day—not because AI is only accessible to the big players, but because many operators still believe it's either too complex, too costly, or too far off. But let's be clear: AI is no longer a nice-to-have. It's the new baseline. Why AI Hesitation Persists Hospitality is, at its core, a people-driven industry. So it's no surprise that many leaders are cautious about a technology often portrayed as cold, robotic, or impersonal. Two myths persist: 1. AI is for tech teams, not hotel professionals. 2. AI will replace the human touch. But neither is true. In reality, the best AI implementations enhance hospitality, not replace it. Used well, AI gives your team more time to be human. It removes repetitive tasks. It accelerates decision-making. It empowers staff to focus on what matters most: the guest experience. What Forward-Looking Leaders Are Doing Differently The most effective hotel operators aren't betting the house on untested technologies. They're starting small—with targeted, strategic AI use cases that yield fast wins and real-world impact. Here's what that looks like in practice: Revenue and operations teams using AI to analyze pace reports and forecast staffing needs Front desk and guest services integrating AI tools to respond instantly to common questions Marketing teams leveraging AI for campaign personalization and content generation Executives and owners using AI insights to make smarter portfolio decisions This isn't about turning hotels into robots. It's about equipping every department with tools that work at the speed of the industry. What's Holding the Industry Back? From my work training hotel groups and mentoring hospitality leaders, the hesitation usually comes down to three things: Lack of clarity: 'Where do I start?' Overwhelm: 'How do I choose the right tools?' Cultural resistance: 'Will this replace jobs?' And here's the honest answer: if AI is done to your people, it will fail. But if it's done with them, it becomes a superpower. That's why education is the real unlock. And that's where the industry needs to catch up—not in technology, but in mindset. AI as a Team Member, Not a Threat AI isn't just about efficiency—it's about empowerment. When hospitality professionals understand how AI can support them (rather than replace them), something shifts. They start experimenting. They start applying it to the problems they face every day—guest complaints, slow responses, staffing gaps. One hotel group I worked with reduced guest response time by 60%—not by replacing staff, but by giving their team an AI-powered assistant trained to speak in their brand voice. Another improved forecasting accuracy across properties by integrating AI into their reporting flows. These aren't science fiction stories. They're the new standard for operational excellence. From Curiosity to Confidence: What Comes Next If you're a hotel owner, brand leader, or educator reading this, here's the takeaway: your teams don't need more hype. They need hands-on, hospitality-relevant guidance. That means: Training teams in how to use AI responsibly and practically Building a culture where experimentation is safe and supported Embedding AI literacy into leadership development programs Learning from peers and sharing success stories openly We recently hosted a live session with hospitality professionals across operations, HR, and tech on exactly this topic: 'The Secret to Loyal Hospitality Teams? AI + Magnetic Culture' This Industry Was Built on Innovation. Let's Not Be Late to This One. Hospitality has always been about responding to change—guest expectations, market conditions, technology shifts. AI is not the end of that story. It's the next chapter. But here's the thing: you don't have to go it alone. You don't have to be the expert. You just have to start—intentionally, responsibly, and with the right partners and mindset. Because the future isn't waiting. And neither is your competition. About the Author Sannette Coetzee is the founder of Acolar AI, a boutique consultancy helping hospitality leaders adopt AI with clarity, confidence, and a people-first mindset. A former transformation leader at Visa and PayPal, she now serves as a fractional Chief AI Officer to hotel groups and teaches executive workshops on AI strategy, leadership, and innovation. Sannette Coetzee CEO of Acolar AI Acolar AI
